County: Kildare Site name: BALLYSAXHILLS
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 95E256 ext.
Author: Margaret Gowen
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 681833m, N 708432m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.120153, -6.777465
Under an extension to the Phase 1 licence and further to a request from David Sweetman, Heritage Services, in December 1995, additional test-trenches were opened in the Phase 1 extension area in January 1996. No archaeological soils or features were noted.
The removal of topsoil from this area was archaeologically monitored while work continued throughout April.
Geophysical survey of the Phase 2 extension area (north of the Phase 1 area) was carried out by CSA. Two anomalies detected by this survey were investigated by test-trenching in June 1996; a total of eleven trenches were opened. The trenching demonstrated that neither was of archaeological derivation.
Further to the completion of the archaeological test-trenching and a verbal agreement with Heritage Services, the removal of topsoil in the Stage 2 area was carried out between 1 and 5 July 1996 and was archaeologically monitored. No archaeological soils or features were revealed.
Topsoil removal resumed for four days in October 1996 and was archaeologically monitored. Unusual gravel ridges and gullies were noted, and inspection by a Quaternary geologist confirmed that these represented aspects of the terminal glacial event on the outwash plain; no archaeological features were noted during the monitoring.
Rath House, Ferndale Rd. Rathmichael, Co. Dublin
